Key



Mays, 1925.

' 3mm/Hoz @at j Gwen nog Patented May 5, 1.925.

PATENT OFFICE.l

EDWARD a. vrvns, or NEW Yonx, N. Y.,

ASSIGNOR TO VESDAL CREATIONS, INC., OF

NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

-i Application led' September 6, 1923. Serial No.' 661,219.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that EDWARD R. VIVES', a subjectof the King of Spain, and aresident of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,has invented a certain new and useful Key, of which the following is aspecification. The present invention relates to 'keys for combinationlocks of the`multiple-key type. In my copendingv application, vSerialNo. 658.654, filed Aug. 2l,A 1923, I have described and claimeda-fombinationlock in which the combination may be changed by certainsimple manipulations, each combination requiring a'v key individualthereto.

AThe lock described comprises a barrel adapted when Arotated to operatea bolt. The barrel is formed with an aXlal key way and with alongitudinal slot communicating I with the key way and opening at theperiphery vof the barrel, said slot being filled with tumblers which areadapted to be moved radially of the barrelwhen a key is inserted` by theengagement therewith of projections or teeth on the upper edge of thekey. To operate the combination it is nec- .essary'to move certaintumblers and vto leave unaffected the remainder, the particular tumblersto beoperated depending upon 80. the combination. The key for a givencombination, therefore, must have its projections or teeth so arrangedthat when the key is inserted the necessary tumblers w1ll be operatedand the remainder of the tum- 85 blers will be unaffected. l The presentinvention relates to akey or key form ada ted to be used with a locksuch as descri ed in my copending application. The object of the 40tion, in. general, is to provi e a key form of sim le and cheapconstruction which is adapte to be converted with facility into a keycorresponding to any given combination for whlch the lock is set. Moreparticu-lar objects and advantages of the invention will become apparenthereinafter.

Referring to the accompanying drawings for a s eciic disclosure of somekey forms which Ihave chosen to embody my invention 1 'is a longitudinalsection of a lockbarrel, showing in elevation a key insertd therein.

resent inven- Figure 2 is a side elevationof a key form showing certainmodifications.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of another key form.

In the drawings the key is shown on an enlarged scale. Figure 1illustrates in longitudinal section the barrel 10 vof al' lockconstructed in accordance with the copending application referredE toJabove. This barrel 1s formed with an axial key way and with a widerlongitudinal slot communicating with said key way and opening throughthe barrel. Said slot is filled with tumblers 11, which are adapted tocoact with tumblers 12.` The particular tumblers 12 which are broughtinto registration with tumblers 11 will depend upon the@ combination.desired, as is fully set forth in my oopending application above cited.As will be understood .from Vmy copending application, each ward isprovided with two angularly spaced inwardly opening slots, in only oneof which there is a tumbler 12. In one position of the wards thetumblers 12 are opposite the tumblers 11 and normally project into thelslot of barrel 10,- preventing rotation thereof. In the other positionof the wards the slot-s therein whlch do not carry tumblers are oppositethe corres onding tumblers 11, so. that if any one o these tumblers ismoved it will project into the-slot of its ward and thereby lock thebarrel against rotation.- The combination of the lock therefore isdetermined by the positions of the wards. A key for any givenlcombination should have teeth adapted t-o raise those tumblers 11 whichhave tumblers 12 in registration therewith, and should have spacesadapted to leave unaffected those tumblers 11 which have no registeringtumblersv 12. Accordingly,the key shown in Figure 1 has teeth 14adaptedto raise those tumbler's`11 which are opposite tumblers 12, andhas s aces adapted to leavel unaffected theremalning tumblers 11.Figures 2 and 3 show a key form provided with a full set of teeth on itsupper edge, the number of teeth being the same as the number of tumblers11. Such a key form may be converted into a key corresponding to anygivelr combination simply by breaking oif the necessary teeth. To

I facilitate the vbreaking off of the teeth, the

-tions in the bottom of the key way.'-

latter may be joined to the blade of the key by reduced portions,formed, for example, by scoring the teeth along the bases thereof, asindicated by the dotted line 15. The user of the number of these keyforms, or they could be obtained from the dealer as required. course itwould not be necessary to use a new key form, such as shown in Figures 2and every time the combination is changed, it being obvious that one keyform could be usedfor a number of different combinations. I

Figure 3 shows a key form adapted to be used with a lock barrel having akey way with plane bottom, the lower edge of the key in this view beingAstraight. In ordervv to make the combination more diicult to solve, Imay form the key with irre larities or undulations 16 on its lower ge,as shown in Fig. 1, and form the barrel 10 with complementaryirregularities lor undula- Obviously in a lock of this construction thecombination cannot be solved except by a key which not only has itsteeth and spaces corresponding to the positions of the wards, but alsohas an irregular or undulating lower edge which exactly iitstlipirregularities in the bottom of the key Way so as not to lift tumblers11 too far. In Fig. 2 the key is provided with projections 16 ofsomewhat different form from those of Fig. 1. In so far as the presentinvention is concerned the key may have any number or form ofprojections. In practice the locks will be manufactured with several.diierent numbers or forms of recesses or undulations in the bottom ofthe key ways and of course the keys will be made with correspondingirregularities or undulations. In a lock system of this character itwould be necessary to identify the keys with the corresponding locks.This may be done by stamping or lock would be furnished with aILuengo-na otherwise aifixing to the locks of one style and thekeys'corresponding thereto a lcommon identification mark or number.

Now having particularly described my invention, what I claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is y 1. A key blank consisting of ashank or blade provided along the upper edge thereof with a plurality ofdetachable teeth of uniform'length, the ends of said teeth deiiingv aline substantially parallel with said e ge. a

2.A key form consistin of ahandleand a blade and a plurality o regularlyspaced projecting from the edge of said blade, said parts forming anintegral' structure.

3. A key form consisting of a handle an a shank or blade and a pluralityof regularly spaced teeth of uniform length alon the upper edge of saidblade -and joine thereto by reduced portions. l

4.v A key having a shank or blade provided with a plurality of teethalong the upper edge thereof and having a plurallty of projections alongits lower edge.

I5. A key having a shank or blade provided with a plurality of teethalong the upper edge thereof and having undulations in its lower edge.

6. A key form consisting of a handle and a blade, said blade having aplurality of regularly spaced easily detachable teeth on its upper edgeand having a plurality of projections along its lower edge.

7. A key form consisting of a handle and a blade, said blade having aplurality of regularly spaced easily detachable teeth on irts ieipperedge and having an undulating lower ge' In testimony whereof I hereuntoaiiix my signature.

y EDWARD a vivas.

sol

feasily detachable teeth of uniform length"

